That Would Be Enough
by Imagodownwiththisship
Summary: Alexander struggles to come to grips with fatherhood. Eliza helps to reassure him. One-shot. Warning: contains one very, very brief mention of abuse. If you're triggered by it, please don't read.


**A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry for the hiatus, but I needed a break from writing. Anyway, this won't be a multi-chapter fix, just a one shot, but I think it's still enough to get your Hamliza fix. Also, abuse is mentioned, but only very, very briefly. No description whatsoever. Everything belongs to Lin.**

"... Alexander, you're going to be a father." Eliza smiled widely, eyes searching for a similar reaction on her husband's face.

Alexander stumbled backwards, leaning against the wall for support. "I-I need some air." He hurried outside of his home and Eliza, where he sat down on a bench outside, paralyzed by fear.

 _Laughter bubbled around him. Alexander was four years old, and both of his parents were present. He was bouncing up and down and running around, giggling as his mother and father watched with amusement._

 _Later, Alexander was seven years old, and he was no longer quite as happy. He was sitting on his bed, starting at the wall, as his parents engaged in a vicious shouting match._

 _"You're already married, Rachel! I refuse to be charged with adultery alongside you." His father fumed._

 _"Please, don't do this!" His mother sobbed. "My first husband—he was abusive! I had to escape him. And then I met you!" Her voice dropped significantly in volume, but Alexander still heard every word as she pleaded, "we can figure this out together. We always have. And you love Alexander, I know you do. If you want to leave me, fine. But don't leave your only son."_

 _He heard his father open the front door. "That boy is not my son," he said venomously._

 _Alexander jumped as he heard the door slam shut. His mother quietly made his way to his room._

 _"Where's Father?" Alexander asked hesitantly as his mother held him tightly._

 _She sighed. "He's gone, Alexander._ _And he's not coming back."_

Alexander jerked sharply as he felt a familiar hand touch his shoulder.

"Alexander? Are you alright?" His wife took a seat next to him. "Is it about the baby? I'm sorry if I took you off guard, I had to make sure before I told you—"

"No," he sighed. "You did everything just right. It's-its a ghost from my past, that's all. Nothing to worry about." He looked up at her, giving a hopefully convincing smile of reassurance.

Eliza didn't buy it. "Alexander, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me."

He tried again. "I'm perfectly fine, Eliza. I just need some time to myself."

His wife looked at him intently. "I won't press. But just answer this one question: does it have something to do with my pregnancy?"

Alexander considered lying, but figured that Eliza would sense it immediately. Defeated, he looked down at his shoes and said quietly, "yes."

Eliza didn't respond, simply pressed her lips against his forehead then turned around to leave, but before she could, he grasped her hand.

"Stay." He continued in barely more than a mumble. "Please?"

She sat down next to him again and put her head against his shoulder. "Always."

The two Hamiltons remained in comfortable silence. One pondering his past, another contemplating her future.

Finally, he lifted his head. "This might take a while."

She smiled. "Luckily, we happen to have plenty of that tonight."

So he began to tell Eliza his narrative, his childhood in the Caribbean, a dysfunctional family that only resulted in sorrow. An abandoned orphan whose only desire was a family. A struggling mother desperate to make ends meet. And a father who wanted nothing to do with the family he had once been a part of.

When Alexander had finished talking, his voice was hoarse and purple and orange streaks of light were spreading across the sky.

Eliza was quiet, staring ahead at the incoming day.

"Eliza?" Alexander asked hesitantly.

"You're afraid of this child because you fear that you will become your father," she said quietly, a statement rather than a question.

"Yes," he said, relieved that she had perfectly described what he was going through.

"But I believe you're wrong, Alexander."

"Eliza?" He asked, confused.

She finally turned to face her husband. "You grew up an orphan because your father abandoned you and your mother died. Yet you are as every bit compassionate and kind as if they had raised you with all the love in the world. You are terrified that you will repeat your father's mistakes, but the fact that you are willing to bring up what he did, and wary of what you could do shows that you are nothing like him, Alexander."

Eliza takes his hand. "You will become a great father, because your traumatic childhood ensures that you will not give this child what you had to endure."

Alexander sat quietly on the bench. He gently lifts Eliza's other hand and presses his lips against hers.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

The two Hamiltons remained in comfortable silence, watching the sun rise as they looked forward to the future.

 **A/N: AAHAAHAHAHAH THE FEEEEEELS! Seriously though, Hamilton's mother was married to another guy when she had Alex out of wedlock with his father, and then James Hamilton, Alex's father, left them because her first husband wanted to divorce her for committing adultery. Then the first husband took all of Alex's mom's possessions and left Alex broke and orphaned at thirteen. Like what the fuck.**


End file.
